Together.
And then—
The dam broke.
“Where have you been?!” Lori burst out, her voice rising immediately, emotions spilling over as she stepped closer again, her hands gesturing wildly. “Do you have any idea what you did? Are you okay? What happened to you? Why did you disappear like that?!”
The questions came one after another, fast, relentless, not giving Iva even a second to respond, each word carrying layers of worry, anger, fear, and relief all tangled together.
“Iva, I thought you were dead!” Lori added, her voice cracking again as fresh tears filled her eyes.
Iva opened her mouth to speak—
But she didn’t get the chance.
Because Lori suddenly stopped.
Mid-sentence.
Her eyes dropped.
Locked onto something.
And then widened.
“…Are you marked?!” Lori’s voice came out sharp,
